Mind On Mental Health

Loneliness can have the same effect on the body as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, and yet, there’s no place to put a Surgeon General’s warning. Host Andy Dean speaks with Jamie Winters, LCSW, senior primary therapist at Princeton House Behavioral Health, about how to address loneliness and purposefully interact with other people.   For more information on Penn Medicine – Princeton House Behavi...

“I don’t see color,” say many people about their co-workers. “You are so articulate.” “Is that your real hair?” Microaggressive comments might be said without malicious intent, but they have an impact on the receiver. Therapist Nicole Glover speaks with Andy Dean about how she coaches her clients to respond to micro aggressions in the workplace, using the skills of DBT, or dialectical behavior the...

What’s a bigger divide between people in a workplace—being a man working with all women, or being a person of color working with all White people? What’s code switching and what is its impact on the person who uses code switching? We continue our exploration of racial trauma with host Andy Dean and guest Nicole Glover.   For more information on Penn Medicine – Princeton House Behavioral Health: Pr...

Now that host Andy Dean and guest Nicole Glover have defined what racial trauma is, in this episode they will talk about its effect on mental health. Depression, anxiety, and acute stress can result from racial trauma.  Listen to hear how and why.   For more information on Penn Medicine – Princeton House Behavioral Health: Princeton House Behavioral Health (princetonhcs.org)   Follow us on Faceboo...

Given everything that has been going on in recent years, racial trauma is a term that most people have heard. But what does it mean, exactly? Host Andy Dean starts a series on this important topic with Nicole Glover, LPC, LCADC, clinical manager of Princeton House’s Women’s Program in Hamilton, and owner of Restoring Peaces, a private practice where she works mainly with people of color. They will...

Cultural issues, immigrant status, and religion inform all of us.  Join host Andy Dean, LCSW, and Jawad Bayat, Associate Director for Clinical Pastoral Education at Penn Medicine Princeton Health, as they discuss mental health in the Muslim community, the hopeful view of all illness in the Koran/Quran, and ways to avoid “spiritual bypassing” for both the therapist and the person seeking help.   Fo...

This week we are examining the many ways that spirituality and mental health overlap.  Andy and guest Imam Jawad Bayat discuss the importance of relationships, mindfulness and self-talk and how they affect mental health as well as spirituality.  Jawad works with the staff and clients of Penn Medicine Princeton House Behavioral Health in his role as Certified Educator and Associate Director for Cli...

Spirituality is belief in something bigger than yourself. It’s not necessarily related to religion. Learn how Princeton House Behavioral Health Chaplain Jawad Bayat uses a spirituality group to make the concept of spirituality accessible to every person seeking mental health treatment. Bayat is one of the few hospital chaplains who is also an imam, but his groups are for anyone and are a forum for...

What do you do when the child in your life worries about the world? We’ve had no shortage of tragedies, both natural and human-made over the past few years, and kids of all ages have access to an unrelenting news feed via social media, the news, and peers. Andy speaks with Dr. Chirayu Parikh, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist with Princeton House Behavioral Health, about how to help your child (an...

Both little ‘t’ trauma and big ‘T’ trauma can affect anyone, but for gay men, finding experienced therapists or safe therapeutic groups can be difficult. Host Andy Dean interviews fellow therapist Kyle Bonner, diversity specialist at Penn Medicine Princeton Health, about why there are oftentimes more barriers for gay men seeking compassionate mental health treatment.    For more information on Pen...

Working in a helping profession can be both wonderful and emotionally draining.  In this episode, Heather Lynch, LPC sits down with Andy to discuss how helping professionals can learn to prioritize their self-care and what they can do to manage their stress so that they can continue doing what they love.     For more information on Penn Medicine – Princeton House Behavioral Health: Princeton House...

Whether you spend your work days on your feet or sitting in front of a computer, at the end of the day it’s often hard to separate work from home, or your profession from your life. Andy Dean, LCSW and Heather Lynch, LPC, Clinical Manager for Adult Services at Princeton House Behavioral Health discuss ways to be fully present at work and at home. Listen for tips that can help you, whether you work...

Part two of our discussion on body size in the media with Dr. Rebecca Boswell and Andy Dean. This week, we’ll talk about weight bias in healthcare, and the way to have a healthy lifestyle no matter what your size or body type.   For more information on Penn Medicine – Princeton House Behavioral Health: Princeton House Behavioral Health (princetonhcs.org)   Follow us on Facebook! facebook.com/princ...

Dr. Rebecca Boswell again joins Andy Dean for a discussion of our attitudes towards body size, including the myth that body size is a determinant of health. Andy and Dr. Boswell also delve into the history of body mass index (BMI), who created it, its original purpose, and its real value in health assessment.   For more information on Penn Medicine – Princeton House Behavioral Health: Princeton Ho...

For some people, anorexia nervosa is a chronic disease. Dr. Rebecca Boswell, Supervising Psychologist for Princeton Center for Eating Disorders at Princeton Medical Center, explains to Andy the medical complications of having an eating disorder, the differences between this illness and substance use disorder, and how those with enduring eating disorders cope with their illness.   For more informat...

Both Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders can have serious consequences on an individual’s well-being.  But what happens when someone is struggling with both types of disorders at the same time?  On this week’s episode, Sarah Carstens, LCSW, LCADC - Penn Medicine Princeton House Behavioral Health’s Addictions Clinical Director and Andy Dean, LCSW discuss why these types of disorders oftentime...

The Harm Reduction Model of care is becoming mainstream among the substance use treatment community. However, many myths about this type of treatment persist. In this episode of the Mind on Mental Health podcast, Andy Dean, LCSW, discusses these myths with Sarah Carstens, LCSW, LCADC - Penn Medicine Princeton House Behavioral Health’s Addictions Clinical Director.   For more information on Penn Me...

More and more, professionals and treatment facilities who work with those with substance use disorder seem to be embracing a Harm Reduction Model as opposed to Abstinence-Only Based Treatment. But, what does Harm Reduction really mean? Listen in on Sarah Carstens, LCSW, LCADC - Penn Medicine Princeton House Behavioral Health’s Addictions Clinical Director and Andy Dean, LCSW on this week’s Mind on...

In this episode, Andy talks with Donna Kiley, who in addition to being a licensed clinical social worker, directs an outpatient behavioral health site with 60 clinical and administrative staff members. Their conversation: tips on how individuals (including bosses) can prioritize their mental health during the workday.   For more information on Penn Medicine – Princeton House Behavioral Health: Pri...

In part one of our look at PTSD responses in Star Wars, we learned about fight, flee, and freeze, three common reactions to perceived threats. In this episode, Mind on Mental Health’s Andy Dean and therapist Aracely Reyes resume the discussion. Listen in to hear more about how Anakin Skywalker and C3PO cope with PTSD.  Remember: When dealing with PTSD, all responses are valiant if they protect you...

In this episode, Licensed therapist Aracely Reyes joins host Andy Dean for another dive into pop culture by explaining human reactions to PTSD, and how the characters of Star Wars exemplify the different responses to perceived threats.   For more information on Penn Medicine – Princeton House Behavioral Health: Princeton House Behavioral Health (princetonhcs.org) Follow us on Facebook! facebook.co...

In this second episode focusing on nutrition and mental health, registered dietitian Rachel Daddio discusses different diets and how they can affect mental health.  Rachel also discusses different vitamins and minerals and what roles they play in mental health.   For more information on Penn Medicine – Princeton House Behavioral Health: Princeton House Behavioral Health (princetonhcs.org)   Follow...

In this episode, registered dietitian Rachel Daddio sits down with Andy to discuss the connection between nutrition and mental health.  Rachel talks about different nutrition considerations she discusses with her clients at Penn Medicine – Princeton House Behavioral Health as well as how making different nutrition decisions can affect one’s mental health.   For more information on Penn Medicine –...

In this episode, Erica Munger, MA, senior utilization management reviewer at Penn Medicine - Princeton House Behavioral Health sits down with Andy to discuss the discrepancies between the different levels of care in mental health treatment.  Erica also breaks down the different insurance considerations for each level of care and gives practical tips on how to determine approximately how much money...

Does reading a statement from your health insurance company feel like reading hieroglyphics to you?  In this episode, Erica Munger, MA, senior utilization management reviewer at Penn Medicine - Princeton House Behavioral Health sits down with Andy to discuss what to consider when selecting a health insurance plan.  Erica also explains how to make sense of health insurance premiums and deductibles....